An Aching Heart
by GwenSilverlake
Summary: Though it's been a year since -end game spoilers- Minato's death, Yukari still has some trouble coping


Yukari Takeba was at her study desk in her dormitory bedroom at Tatsumi University, the room that she shared with her assigned roommate, a girl named Jing-yin. At the moment, Jing-yin was away – she had gone to the library to borrow some books. Japanese pop music blared from the radio on the floor, the radio that she and Jing-yin had clubbed together to buy.

Yukari sighed heavily, tapping her pen on the wooden desk and chewing on her bottom lip. Japanese Comprehension still wasn't easy for her. Especially the new assignment that Mr Edonawa had given to his class, which was to compose their own stories – whatever they liked, so long as it was at least two pages long. Jing-yin, who was a poor writer when she was given a topic to follow but an astoundingly imaginative writer when she was free to write what she liked, had been done with the assignment hours before Yukari had even formed a solid plot.

The brunette-haired girl stole a glance at the framed photograph on the desk. It was a photo of the SEES, the photo that Junpei had suggested to be taken after they had fought the twelfth strong Shadow. Yukari giggled to herself when she remembered that Junpei had kept on making silly faces and fooling around, and how Akihiko, out of impatience, had pushed him too hard and he had fallen over.

Her heart began to ache for the days she shared with her friends back when she was still a junior student at Gekkoukan High, back when she was still a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, fighting the Shadows and exploring the titanic tower that was Tartarus alongside her friends and sharing everyday life with them in the Dorm. Although she was glad that the Dark Hour had ended, and Tartarus had disappeared, a small part of her somehow wanted everything back the way it used to be.

Yukari snorted. "Me and my big mouth," she said to herself. She remembered the day of March 31st 2010, two months after the battle with Nyx, and less than a month after the day Minato left them. Looking back, Yukari felt ashamed of the way she had behaved on March 31st. She couldn't help losing her temper, and she had mostly directed her anger at Aigis, who really didn't deserve it. It wasn't her fault that they had been trapped at the Dorm, and she hadn't wished to inherit Minato's ability to switch Personas mid-battle.

Minato…

She blinked back the sudden tears that had formed. Minato had sacrificed himself to save them all…his life had slowly started to fade after January 31st. The Great Seal that he had used to seal away Nyx and prevent the Fall had used up his energy and life force, but he had managed to hold on and stay, just long enough for everyone to be reunited after they had lost their memories.

The bedroom door suddenly opened and Jing-yin Mikata came in, clutching a pile of books and papers. She dropped them on her study desk with a sigh. Yukari quickly wiped away her tears, not wanting Jing-yin to see them.

"Haven't you written anything yet, Yukari?" Jing-yin asked, looking over Yukari's shoulders at the clean, blank sheet of paper in front of Yukari. "Surely you've got some kind of idea?"

"Everything I think of is utter rubbish," Yukari sighed, pushing back her brunette hair. "I just can't write stuff the way you do, Jing-yin."

"Maybe you're just tired," Jing-yin suggested, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "It's getting late, and Mondays are always pretty brutal. You should get some sleep. You might even get inspiration from a dream tonight. Mr Edonawa's assignment isn't due until Friday, you've got plenty of time."

"You're right," Yukari agreed, turning off her desk light and slipping the blank paper and her pen into one of the desk drawers. She left her desk and headed for the nearby bathroom with her toothbrush and toothpaste. At the bathroom, she turned the tap on and washed her face. When she looked back at the mirror above the sink, she saw not her own brown eyes and brunette hair, but Minato's blue hair and dark eyes.

She gasped loudly and shut her eyes tightly, her breath quickening and her heart beating madly. When she dared open her eyes again, she saw her own reflection in the mirror.

"Just my imagination," Yukari mumbled to herself, as her breath returned to normal. "Jing-yin was right…I should rest, I'm so tired I'm seeing things."

She brushed her teeth quickly before returning to her bedroom. Jing-yin had changed into her pyjamas and was now tucked up in bed, fast asleep. Yukari got into her own night gown and fell asleep just a few seconds after her head touched her pillow.

*********

_Yukari opened her eyes. She looked around at her surroundings, wondering where in the world she was. There was nothing around her, she only saw blinding whiteness – she didn't know how she was still on her feet, because nothing seemed to be standing between her and the seemingly endless white abyss below her. _

_Suddenly, she heard footsteps, and a familiar figure came into view. She drew in her breath quickly, her heart beating madly. It was __**him. **_

_Her breathing was quick and shallow as she managed to speak. "Minato…?" she gasped out, her eyes watching the figure intently. _

_The figure did nothing to respond. It stood there, keeping a distance between the two of them. Yukari forced herself to move. She took one step forward, tentatively, half afraid that she would fall. She took another step, and yet another. But the figure didn't seem to get any nearer and the distance never seemed to get any closer. _

_To her dismay, she watched as the figure turned around and began to walk away into the blinding whiteness._

"_Minato?" she called out, her voice shaking, her palms sweaty. "Minato, wait!"_

_The figure didn't seem to hear her. It kept walking, never looking back. Yukari tried to run, but for all the good it did, she might as well have stayed where she was. _

"_Minato! Minato, wait! Where are you going?" she called out desperately. _

_The figure stopped and turned around to stare at her for a brief moment before resuming his pace. Yukari felt tears form in her eyes and spill onto her hot cheeks._

"_Minato! Don't leave me here! Come back…"_

*********

"Yukari! Yukari!"

"H-huh?"

Yukari sat up quickly in her bed, wondering what had just happened. She found that she really was crying, and she could feel perspiration on her forehead and palms. Jing-yin was next to her, and she had a hand on one of Yukari's shoulders, a concerned expression on her face. Yukari wiped her eyes, and sighed with relief. It was all just a dream.

"You were shouting and crying in your sleep," Jing-yin said quietly, letting go of Yukari's shoulder. "I shook you to wake you up and snap you out of it…are you alright?"

Yukari found herself shaking. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath in an attempt to hide it. "I-I'm fine," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Don't worry about me…it was just a nightmare."

Jing-yin put her palm up to Yukari's forehead. It felt hot and sweaty.

"I think you're ill, Yukari," Jing-yin said worriedly. She got up and took a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, handing it to Yukari. "Here, drink some water, and we can go see the nurse in the morning if you want to."

"Thanks," Yukari said, taking the bottled water and taking a sip. "I'm not sick, it was just a bad dream. I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Jing-yin said, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," Yukari nodded and lifted up the corners of her mouth in a failed attempt to smile at her roommate. Jing-yin nodded and got back into her bed.

Yukari put the bottle of water on her nightstand. She lay down on her mattress and pulled the covers around her, but she couldn't go back to sleep. She lay in bed, thinking.

"Minato…" she thought, and tears appeared in her eyes again. "Why did you have to go…?"


End file.
